Shenkin Erskineville

Adorable corner cafe in the Inner West suburb, very home vibe backyard area with plenty of seats decorated with lively plants. All the good on the menu looks healthy and promising, we just tried two of our trusty dishes, it turned out nice! The Coffee is okay too. Really enjoy a sunny Sunday brunch at this place, it is a very good spot! Very popular!

Super food ! Best falafel ( on a wrap with to die for pickle and dressing ) I’ve ever tasted. My wife had the halumi and egg wrap and loved that too.

We were fortunate enough to be there when Shenkin opened and recently dropped in after 8years after moving interstate. Superb coffee, service and of course my favourite chocolate croissants! Nice one guys! We wont leave it so long between visits.

It was a funny place. My friend and I have breakfast around lunch time at 30/Jun/2024. The staff was nice at the beginning, and the coffee was nice too. But the kitchen burnt my breakfast, and they totally forgot my friend's meal. When i almost finished my meal ( I'm a super slow eater, even though I focus on my food it still takes me 30 minutes to 45 minutes 🙃), I had to ask the staff to check for us, which is that no one went to check our table. And the most funny thing is there is green sauce? or puree in our dish, the texture was sandy. I don't think the normal sauce should have a texture like that, but we didn't ask them to change. ( cause i don't expect the kitchen staff to check the ingredients before they serve, and if i did that, maybe it would take more than a long time to keep us there.) In the end, my friend figured out the FOH let another customer pay our table, and we are going to pay another table. Anyway, place check my picture to decide what you want to try. two stars for the coffee and the customer next to our table who pays for me.🤣

Great cafe with high quality food and coffee. There are three areas inside for seated dining. The menu is good with lots of vegetarian options. Service is friendly and focused and the atmosphere casual and relaxed. Highly recommended

Absolutely loved having brunch here. The staff were so friendly, and were nice about my toddler running around! The food was great, and very fresh. It was served very quickly aswell which was very much appreciated. We will definitely be going back.

Popular, with good reason, excellent coffee and delicious breakfast/brunch options. I can't judge the authenticity of Israeli food, but it sure does taste fantastic, the flavours are really punchy, good amount of acidity balanced with well seasoned and good quality ingredients.

I’ve been coming here for years now, and although the menu changes up every now and again (and I can’t get some of my old faves), the food is always amazing! Always presented in such a nice way too. The coffee is also very solid as well.

I love this place! Such good food and it's been around for ages! Order one of their Israeli specialities like the shakshuka

I had a great meal at Shenkin, went in with without checking pictures but thankfully ordered the Shakshuka (with chorizo) and a smoothie. Staff was very friendly, I got 2 massive pitas on the side and went to town on the dish. Hearty meal and very filling. Smoothie also hit the spot for the warm weather

What an amazing first experience I had here with Israeli Cuisine! Yesterday my friend brought me here for lunch.. I have never been to this neck of the woods let alone ever tried this type of food. My friend had been here a few times and spoke very highly of the place. I now can see why. The staff was friendly and efficient in the service. The place itself looks small at first but as you walk through there is a whole back area that can seat many more.. including groups of friends. The decore is very rustic and that's what gives this place their edge. To start off with I ordered an almond milk latte no sugar. Now I've had almond milk lattes before but never as smooth as this one.. the temperature was perfect not to hot like some places I've had. For my main meal I ordered the Shakshuka which was two Free Range Eggs poached in a rich Tomato, Capsicum & Garlic sauce served with fresh Home-Made Pita. The option I chose to have this meal with was chorizo. Now this dish absolutely blew me away. I can't tell you enough how amazing the flavours were in conjunction with the ingredients. Being Italian I've had a lot of tomato based food before and usually hesitate to order on those type of meals but my friend suggested it and I'm glad. It's that good I can't really explaine it.. you will have to try it for yourself. I will definitely be back at some point for more :)

Great little spot in Erskinville with a good vibe and some nice menu options to tickle those taste buds. Coffee was great - had a good strong kick, just how i like it. However, I'm surprised others have given it 5 stars. To me, 5 out of 5 means perfection and there are definitely some opportunities when it comes to their food. We decided to go with some of the suggestions given by other Yelpers and ordered the Shashuka Eggs with Eggplant & Haloumi and the Shenkin wrap (falafel roll). They were certainly good and nothing was left on the plate, but here are a couple of reasons they dont get 5 stars from me. 1. If you are going to do a baked egg style of dish, you gotta keep that yolk runny! Unfortunately they had over cooked our yolks by a good couple of minutes. Nothing beats sticking your fork into that orange sphere of goodness and spooning out some of that liquid gold. I'm almost certain the vast majority of foodies would agree! 2. The falafel roll lacked a punch. When you bite into a falafel roll, you want your tastebuds to start shuffling and you want to hear the crunch of the outer shell of that falafel. Neither of those occurred on this occasion Whilst the falafel was decent and made with good ingredients, it had zero texture. Also, with hommus being the only condiment on the wrap, my mouth was screaming for more flavour. They need to consider adding some 'zing' to that hommus! I have had far better falafels in Tel Aviv, Beirut and even here in Sydney. Hopefully they get a 5 out of 5 from me on the next visit.

I freaking love this place! Is freaking appropriate? Because I really FREAKING love it!!! Have been coming here for years, and I have always been a fan of the Israeli Breakfasts, salads and wraps and especially the Shakshuka for which they are famous for (and let me tell you it is just as good as one you'd have in Tel Aviv). Coffee is pretty damn good, sometimes amazing sometimes just great, the service can be a tad slow but always friendly which keeps me coming back for more. The food never disappoints! The cakes and pastries are divine- and most recently the coconut hot chocolate was a perfect balance of coconut-ness and chocolate-ness not at all too sweet! Just another thing that Shenkin does well. Do yourself a favour and go with 3 people and sharet: Shakshuka with haloumi & eggplant, a salad of some sort (i liked the tuna salad the best actually it is MASSIVE), and a wrap of some sort- beef kebab was yummo.. Wash it all down with a large juice or coffee and you won't be disappointed!

We walk out the back of Shenkin, briefly distracted by its cabinet of chocolates, cakes, and other assorted tasties that you shouldn't be allowed to look at pre-breakfast. It's an extremely hazy Sunday (despite the sun and blue skies), and as we take a seat on the long benches in the sunny back room, the task of deciding on our order seems all too much. Luckily, a decisive friend makes it easy. "Australian or Israeli?" She asks. We all answer Israeli - after all, that's why we're here. "Right," she says, and when the waitress comes to take our order, Miss Decisive has it all sorted. "We'll have the Eggplant and Haloumi Shakshuka, the Labneh, some hummus, the coriander dip and some extra pita." Done. Grateful to our friend for making a painstaking process so easy, we were also grateful for the fact that she got the order spot on. This was just the right amount of food for four people, and if you're heading the Skenkin, it seems that sharing is the way to go. The meals are so easy to share, and as they're all so delicious, this is the way to be able to sample as much as you can in one sitting. The food is fantastic. Like, call someone to tell them about it because you're just so satisfied. They make their own pita and it arrives on your table warm, fluffy and dusted with flour. On first glance the menu comes across as on the pricier side (Shakshuka $19, Labneh $17), but our meal only came to $44 (including a coffee and a tea), and $11 each is dirt cheap for something so delicious. Shenkin gets five stars because despite the fact that the coffee isn't fantastic (not awful, just not fantastic), the Israeli fare is what you go there for, and they smash it. Perfect hazy morning cure.

-A unique breakfast and lunch menu; great change from the regular cafes in Newtown. - If you don't feel like bacon and scrambled eggs, try the Mexican chorizo or Turkish wrap. -A platter of tasty hummus and two pitas is a great starter to lunch. -On a rainy day, the Shakshuka, a wonderful Israeli dish consisting of a tomato stew warms the tummy. -For dessert, you can't go past the waffles or a vanilla slice. -The coffee is creamy, authentic, and delicious (Mocha!) -The portions are huge so it's a good idea to share. -You might find yourself pressed between two people; it gets packed. -A cosy, warm cafe that has that buzzing atmosphere.

Excellent! Service, food and coffee! Everything was amazing. I will be back for the falafel wrap. I had the Tamar pancakes and im exploding with happiness! A must try!

Falafel wrap and coffee. Thank me later. This place is great, and you don't normally have to wait TOO long if at all. The hummus plate is also great as is the shakshuka on a cold day. But seriously - work up a hunger on your day off, head in there for a late lunch and get that falafel wrap.

This cafe was so good .... I will be coming back !! .... the staff were so friendly & prompt .... excellent service ...... the coffee was so good and kept a smile on Joey's face while scrolling through the well laid out menu. It didn't take long for the food to arrive and was so well presented .... the whole experience was fun and helped take my mind off the hangover that was lurking around. I feel next time I go back it will be an updated review with another star added on. I know I'll be looking forward to my next visit and the anticipation will just make it even better. Good work guys ..... !!

This is one of our favourite spots to take people who are after a cafe experience with a difference. The Israeli food they have is amazing and each time we come we have our 'go to' dishes that are sure to please. Try the Shakshuka with eggplant & haloumi. The signature Shenkin wrap is definitely a must. Their felafel is possibly the most authentic I have had. Be warned though, you may not want to have several close quarter discussions after eating here or just be sure to bring some mints ;) They use Mecca dark horse as the house and will have some nice single origins from time to time. Baristas are well trained and I know that they strive for excellence in their coffee as they have changed blends a few times in the years I have gone there. Coconut hot chocolate is a must try. Hot chocolates are not my drink but I will crave this one from time to time. If you're after something cold, the frappes they serve will hit the spot or have a freshly squeezed juice. The venue is surprisingly deep so don't be fooled by the front entrance as there are plenty of seats in the back of the cafe with some great big share tables and a sun light which is lovely during the day. Atmosphere here is good, service is always high and the owners are almost always here which gives it that added touch of a small business doing great things. So if you are after a great lunch go to, a taste of Israel or something different to bring some visitors to then Shenkin comes highly recommended!

Tried this cafe for weekend lunch. Starting on a positive note, the coffee was good. However ordered the grilled chicken wrap and the chicken wasn't cooked properly. It's $15 for a huge wrap that could potentially feed two people, but it's no good if it's not cooked. Told the waitstaff upon bill payment and they said they would let the cook know, no mention of any compensation and no apology. My partner wanted something relatively plain (as there are alot of herbs and spices used in the dishes) so ordered a steak sandwich. This came slathered with tahini (not advertised in menu) and the tahini was also mixed with chilli. Plain lunch turned into spicy mess. Would have complained on the spot but we waited a while for food and weren't there for a leisurely lunch - we had places to be. Disappointing.

Yum. Always go for the Shashuka. Today's version (Mexican) was a little runny. Will go for my usual next time (eggplant and Halomi) . Eggs always done perfectly.

Omg I'm in love with this place. There are so many things to love... The coffee the food the desserts the atmosphere the sense that you are in an amazing cafe!!! I recommend this place to anyone. In face I'm surprised I haven't written about this place before as it's in the top 3 must go cafés in sydney. Always consistent with food and coffee. I'm speechless. Just go here.

I came for the shakshuka (which was terrific) and stayed for the ambience. The coffee is also wonderful. Friendly service capped off a very satisfying start to a Sunday morning.

This bar is named after a street in Israel. It is very soon going to be open for dinner too. It is a specialty bar where the menu is packed with Isreali dishes designed for the Australian palette. You can even buy take away packs of dips from here. It's fresh as, cakes and pastries are baked daily on the premises. The vibe is funky just like Erskinville as a city fringe hub and although there is room the tables are small so big groups might feel a bit tight.

Lovely, wholesome, freshly prepared Israeli food and probably the best coffee in the area. Try the king's meal, shukshukas and fresh breads

People have already said great things about this place, and I'm going to add absolutely nothing new to my review.. this place is fantastic! Eat here! Drink coffee here! I command you!

Staff are lovely, food is honest and authentic. Places like this make enmore what it is (with out the ironic beards)

I was really disappointed with my experience in Shenkin last week. I've long been a regular here but after the last few times, I don't think I'll be coming anymore. My partner and I ordered our food only to have it arrive an hour later. Three other tables who ordered after us had received and finished eating their meals before we even received us. It was obvious that the waitress had forgotten to put our order through but when we asked to see how our food was going (after 30 minutes of waiting) we were told, "Some orders just take longer than others." Hard to believe when other tables who ordered after us had ordered the same thing and received it before us. The food (two shakshukas), when it arrived, was overcooked and the haloumi was hard, dry and overly salty. I understand that sometimes there can be mixups in the kitchen but to have a waitress lie to us about the reason for the delay was not only unacceptable but also insulting. All in all, the experience was very underwhelming (especially considering how much we paid in total) and a gesture of apology would have been nice. For example, complimentary drinks or 10% off. However, it seemed like there was no manager or person in charge there who could make these decisions. Sorry Shenkin, it's been lovely but the service and quality of the food has definitely gone downhill and we probably won't be returning.

Unbeatable eggplant & haloumi shakshuka, and any hot beverages with chocolate. I would (and need to) walk kilometres for their mochas.